HOW YOUR SUPPORT IS CHANGING LIVES
MAY 2019
PHOTO: DANIEL JESUS VIGNOLLI
BROTHERLY
LOVE
A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO
The Fred Hollows Foundation recently welcomed a $32 million commitment from the Australian Labor Party to establishing a Pacific Avoidable Blindness and Vision Loss Fund.
I recently marked my first year as CEO of The Fred Hollows Foundation and it’s been an inspiring year.
Founding Director Gabi Hollows said 40,000 people are needlessly blind and 170,000 are severely vision impaired in the Pacific and this funding would make massive inroads into clearing the cataract backlog.
The highlight has been seeing the work The Foundation does first-hand – work made possible by our generous supporters.
The Foundation works in more than 25 countries around the world but the Pacific has not been a major focus.
My first visits were to projects at the heart and soul of our work – to Nepal and seeing our work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
This funding would allow The Foundation and other eye health organisations to expand our efforts in our neighbouring region to train more surgeons, nurses and health workers and build critical new infrastructure.
It is disappointing that 26 years after we lost Fred, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults are still three times more likely to be blind than other Australians. While the gap has narrowed, there’s still a long way to go. That’s why our Indigenous Australia Program is as important as it’s ever been and we need to finish the job. In Darwin I met Chrissy. Chrissy had already had one eye fixed and was back for her second surgery. She was so happy to have good sight.
ENDING BLINDNESS IN THE PACIFIC
If delivered, the announcement will be the most significant increase in funding for avoidable blindness since the Government cut $11.3 billion from foreign aid in 2014.
The Foundation has called on the Government to make the funding a bipartisan commitment.
In Nepal I was lucky to meet Ramesh, a man who came into the hospital very subdued, dependent on others and struggling to interact with his surroundings. After Fred’s great mate Dr Sanduk Ruit operated on Ramesh I could see he had a cheeky sense of humour and would soon be back in his village as a force of nature. For me, meeting patients like Chrissy and Ramesh is what our work is all about. It’s the individual people whose lives are impacted that drive our efforts each and every day. We will never lose sight of that.
Ian Wishart CEO
TREKKERS RAISE FUNDS FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS For the past 10 years The Fred Hollows Foundation has teamed up with Coastrek organisers Wild Women On Top to inspire almost 25,000 people, to get off the couch and into hiking, raising more than $25 million in support of our global sight-saving work. Coastrek is a team trekking challenge, where teams of four hike along some of the most beautiful coastlines in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Teams get fit while raising money to transform lives. Each team must include at least two women. More than 55% of all people who are blind are women and girls, so in 2019 Coastrek funds will be specifically directed towards The Fred Hollows Foundation gender programs. The Sydney event was held on March 15 with 3,000 trekkers raising almost $2 million. There are still a few places available in the Melbourne event trekking along the stunning Mornington Peninsula on May 24 and the Brisbane event at the beautiful Sunshine Coast beaches on July 26. Go to Coastrek.com.au to find out more.
THE FRED HOLLOWS FOUNDATION FRED’S VISION MAY 2019
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NEWS |
JUAN’S BATTERYPOWERED SIGHT
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Mobile outreach and surgery plays a critical role in The Foundation’s work in Lao PDR where geography and poverty prevent people from accessing eye health services. In 2018, The Foundation supported more than 4,300 mobile cataract surgeries. One of those patients is 58-year-old Juan from Oudomxay Province in the country’s north-west. Juan has cataract in both eyes and ophthalmologist Dr Indara Phetsamone is confident he can fix her left eye. Juan first noticed a problem with her eyes four years ago. “I went to the paddy field and it felt like something was in my eye that I couldn’t get out. It became like a wall.” Once active, Juan became dependent on others, rarely venturing outside. Dr Phetsamone – who was trained by The Foundation – sets up a makeshift operating room. He removes the battery from his ute to power his equipment.
PHOTOS: MARY TRAN
Later that day, he returns to remove the bandage from Juan’s left eye. “This is the first time I have seen clearly in four years!” Juan says. A crowd of children has gathered around her, eager to see the transformation in the lady they knew only as being blind, frail and dependent. Dr Phetsamone is happy but knows there’s more to do and will now arrange for surgery on Juan’s eye at a provincial hospital.
BROTHERLY
LOVE
Brother has eyes for his twin
John and Samuel are great friends. The twin brothers are inseparable, sitting together at school, helping each other out. But what isn’t immediately clear is that John is a little boy with a big responsibility. John helps care for his twin brother who is losing his sight. Samuel’s teachers recognised the little boy couldn’t see well when he started kindergarten and couldn’t read or write. Doctors told the family he had cataract. Thankfully John has been an enormous help to his brother. “John helps Samuel so much when they are going to school and even when they are playing together. There is no time John has ever left him behind,” Kimani said. “When they are in school, and the teacher writes something for Samuel, John ensures that he takes his brother’s book and writes properly because he knows his brother cannot see things clearly.” Samuel’s determination and John’s dedication and love for his brother is paying off. “I am sure that once his eyes are corrected, he can catch up real quick because he even shows some effort by counting numbers and he also knows the alphabet.” Samuel’s family was delighted when they found out The Fred Hollows Foundation would help ensure he could have cataract surgery. “I am so happy I cannot even explain it. I never thought that he would ever see,” said Esther, Samuel’s mother. “He has changed so much. He’s telling his brother that he’ll work so hard in school and perform even better than him!” Now Samuel wants to become a doctor to help other people. “I would love for him to become a doctor so that he can help those who will have a problem like the one he had,” Kimani said. THE FRED HOLLOWS FOUNDATION FRED’S VISION MAY 2019
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PHOTOS: DANIEL JESUS VIGNOLLI
FEATURE |
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PHOTO: AILDRENE TAN
HELP FINALLY WITHIN REACH
Two years ago, 78-year old Muhamad Tayeb broke into tears as he heard the news on TV. He heard a story about an eye camp on the Indonesian island of Java – blind people were getting their sight back. For almost 20 years, Tayeb had suffered from cataract. He now knew that his blindness could be fixed. “I prayed so hard to be given the same opportunity as those people did,” Tayeb said.
When a health worker announced an upcoming Fred Hollows Foundation supported eye camp in his district, Tayeb was ready. At the hospital, more than 150 patients lined up for treatment. For Tayeb, a few hours’ wait was nothing compared to the years he spent waiting for a miracle. After a 25-minute operation, Tayeb’s eye patch was removed.
Tayeb, who has six children and 12 grandchildren, lives with his wife in remote Dompu, on Sumbawa island. There are no ophthalmologists in Dompu and the last eye camp was held more than two years ago.
“I lost my sight for almost 20 years, and during that time I cannot see ... thanks to all of you, thanks to God,” Tayeb said.
THE FRED HOLLOWS FOUNDATION FRED’S VISION MAY 2019
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“I feel relaxed, happy, and I can see the beautiful world.”
REPORT |
PHOTOS: DANIEL JESUS VIGNOLLI
‘SMOKE’ CLEARS FROM LONG JOHN’S EYES
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Mayilli man Robert ‘Long John’ Dewar is a painter. He paints what is close to him. “Fish, goanna, kangaroo, my spirit,” he said. But having already lost the use of his right eye in a childhood accident, Long John was facing a daunting reality: the loss of vision in his left eye. “I used to work mustering cattle, fencing, as a manager,” Long John said. “I used to work odd jobs, go to other stations when I was young. We used to work at stock camps. It was all one eye.” Despite his vision loss, Long John has become a well-known Australian artist. One of his paintings, Bolung Story, hangs in Parliament House in Darwin.
But his left eye is now clouding over with cataract. “It’s like smoke. “I’m still painting, but up close. It’s a bit glary, my eye, sometimes I make it wrong.” Long John attended an ‘intensive’ surgery day in Darwin facilitated and funded by The Fred Hollows Foundation where groups of patients from regional and remote areas are brought in to receive sight-saving surgery. The day after surgery, Long John sits under a tree outside the eye clinic. “I can see now! I can see the people, the town, the clouds. I can do a big one [painting] now. I’ll do a crocodile. Oh yeah, I’m excited,” he said.
YES, I WILL MAKE A DONATION TO RESTORE SIGHT AND PREVENT BLINDNESS. STEP 1: MY REGULAR MONTHLY DONATION Many of our supporters find it easier to make monthly donations to The Foundation. YES, I would like to make a monthly donation of:
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“EVERY EYE IS AN EYE” – FRED HOLLOWS
Fred believed everyone’s sight was worth saving. Thanks to The Foundation’s regular supporters we hope to support and fund more eye operations and treatments globally than ever.
Four out of 5 people who are blind don’t need to be, but together we can end avoidable blindness. By joining our monthly giving program you will restore sight and change the lives of people living with avoidable blindness in Indigenous Australia and across the developing world. In some countries it can cost as little as $25 to restore someone’s sight. You will help deliver essential eye care to people with cataract and other eye diseases, fund medical equipment and increase the number of surgeons and eye health workers in the field. To join as a monthly giver, simply fill out your details on the form on this page, call 1800 352 352 or visit www.hollows.org/donate. Restoring sight changes lives every month. Thank you.
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Donations to The Fred Hollows Foundation are used to support our programs in Australia and overseas. The information contained in this publication is accurate at the time of printing. For more information contact fhf@hollows.org Fred’s Vision Magazine © 2017 is a publication of The Fred Hollows Foundation ABN 46 070 556 642. The Fred Hollows Foundation works for a world where no one is needlessly blind and Indigenous Australians enjoy the same health and life expectancy as other Australians. This publication may contain images of persons who have passed away. The Fred Hollows Foundation would like to acknowledge these persons and pay our respects to them and their families.